Assigjstoe of one-half to



(No Model.)

0. H. WATSON.

EXGAVATOR.

No. 325,370. Patented Sept. 1, L886,

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N. PEERS. PPM-04.3mm. Washington. 0. C,

NITED STATES- Pa'rnivr rrrcn.

CHARLES H. \VATSOS, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES H. BALDWVIN.

EXCAVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,370, dated September 1, 1885.

Application filed April '22, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska,

have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Excavators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a sysm tem of excavating devices as is necessary to illustrate my invention, the inclined plane or apron being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the apron in full lines. Fig. 3 is a front view of the drum.

1 Fig. 4 is a detail view of the anchoring device.

This invention relates to that class of excavators in which the'scraper is attached to and moved by endless belts or ropes; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter fully explained.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A Aare the side sills, and B O c crossgirts,

2 5 of the main drum and engine frame, upon which an engine, a revolving drum, and the inclined plane or apron are supported.

D D are bearing blocks or sides of the frame, and by preference the girt G is arranged at 0 some distance above the sills A and bolted firmly to the sides or bearing-blocks D D, near their upper edges, for the purpose of giving greater stability to the frame. Other braces may be added, if necessary, although the above- 3 5 described frame will be found suiiicient under ordinary circumstances.

E is a drum mounted in suitable hearings on the frame-work, and provided with a cogge rim, (2, at each end.

Fis the crank-shaft of the engine, also mounted upon the frame-work and carrying spurpinions f f, which mesh with the cogged rims e of the drum.

The engine, which is partially represented in the drawings, may be of any usual or approved construction, a-nd is provided with a reversing-gear, so that the direction of ro tation of the crank-shaft F can be quickly changed at the will of the operator.

5c The position of the girt 0 may be changed by moving it farther under the drum, or it may be omitted.

H H are the side pieces or sills, and h h the cross-girts, of the anchor-frame.

I I are the anchors, each consisting of a short 5 5 piece of plank slotted at its upper ends to receive one of the sills H H, to which it is bolted, and is shod at its lower end, preferably with sheet or cast metal, as at '5 i, the construction of parts being substantially that indicated in the drawings, so that when the anchors are driven into the ground this frame will be supported against pulls exerted in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 2.

K is a bed-piece bolted firmly to the upper sides of the sills H H, near their forward ends, and L L are grooved pulleys or sheaves mounted upon vertical pivots or stub-axles Z Z, each of which is by preference cast in one and the same piece with a bed-plate, k, which in turn is bolted to the upper surface of the bedpiece.

N N represent two carriers, preferably wire ropes, though they may be of any suitable. nature, and 0 indicates the scraper, which may be of any preferred shape or construe tion adapted for this kind of use. To it the two carriers N N are separately attached, there being in the construction shown ears or loops 0 0 on the sides of the scraper for this purpose. When one carrier N is moving in the direction of arrow 2, the other is moving simultaneously, and the scraper is propelled by them. When they are moving in the opposite direction, the scraper'is carried back. The carriers N are propelled by the drum E, 8 5 which supports the forward end thereof, the rear end being supported on the pulleys or sheaves L. I prefer to extend each carrier one or more times around the drum and then back with a second strand, as at Mthat is to 0 say, I prefer to make each carrier endless and with two strands, N and M.

It will be seen that the two endless carriers are more or less independent of each other, being connected only through the medium of the 5 scraper and the friction of the drum. As they are thus more or less independent, and each is separately secured to the scraper, the latter can be supported and carried firmly, and in such way as to require much less labor on the ICO part of the operator than has been necessary when using excavators as heretofore made, in which but a single carrier was connected with the scraper.

I do not wish to be limited to the fact that the carriers are endless, so long as the main feature of this part of the invention is pre servedthat is, so long as two virtually inde pendent carriers are separately attached to the scraper. The outer strand, M, may be dispensed wit-h, and the part N may be secured to drums in any of the ways now well known.

In operating this grader or excavator, if the engine be driven in such direction as to draw the scraper toward the drum, as indicated by arrow 2, Fig. 1, dirt will be forced into the scraper through its front open end, and when the scraper thus loaded with earth reaches the incline or apron G it will be drawn up and carried over the upper surface of the drum, the bottom of the scraper being held in close contact with the surface of the drum, in which relation it will be carried around the drum until it is tipped up endwise, with its forward end downward, until it is in position to discharge its contents into a suitable receptaclesuch as a cart-if the elevation of the drum from the surface of the ground be sufficient.

Of course, after the desired elevation and inclination of the scraper has been effected, the rotation of the drum should be checked and the scraper held stationary until its contents are discharged, after which the direction of rotation of the drum should be reversed, when the scraper will be drawn in the direction indicated by arrow 3, Fig. 1, and toward the anchor-frame to such distance as may be required, in order to be again refilled with earth by a forward movement.

It will be obvious by an examination of Fig. 1 that when the scraper is moving in the direction indicated by arrow 2 the lines N N of the rope will be properly guided to the drum, by reason of its being attached to opposite sides of the scraper, and when the scraper is moving in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrow 3, the outer lines, M M, of the rope will be properly guided to the drum, by reason of their passing around the outer edges of the grooved pulleys L L, thus avoiding all interference or irregularity in the traversing of the rope over the drum, such as might result from any method of directing the rope to the drum which would permit the convolutions to overlap each other or ride upon each other. It is apparent that such interference might occur in case the grooved pulleys Krotated in vertical. planes instead of the horizontal planes in which they are shown in the drawings.

Owing to the length of the drum being several times greater than the distance between the outside lines, M: M, of the endless ropes, the anchor-frame can be moved either to the right or left of its present position, so that a belt or breadth of ground many times wider than the scraper can be excavated.

By an examination of Fig. 1 it will be understood that the scraper and the ends of the endless rope which are attached to the eyes or loops of the scraper can traverse the drum without producing any undue tension upon the ropes or any other part of the mechanism.

Of course the scraper may be provided with a handle or handles, P I, which will enable the operator to more effectually guide its movements through the ground and over its surface.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction or arrangement or proportion of parts shown, as many modifications therein might be made by any one skilled in the art of constructing and operating excavators without departing from my invention; but I have shown and described devices which will under ordinary circumstances operate the best of any which are now known to me for the purposes set forth. It is apparent, however, that the size of thedrum might be materially modified, and that, in fact, the incline or apron G might be continued around the drum and slot ted in the path of the rope; and it is also evident that other form of anchor might be employed, and also that instead of one grooved pulley at the doubled end of each rope two pulleys mounted upon separate studs or spindles might be used. Under-some circumstances the sheaves may run upon horizontal pivots. It is also apparent that the power for running the drum might be supplied by a portable engine, instead of the stationary one indicated in the drawings.

Under some circumstances, perhaps, the apron might be dispensed with and the scraper elevated by being drawn against and carried upward upon the surface of the. drum, although under many circumstances such construction and operation would be found objectionable; yet I do not wish to be limited to the employment of the apron.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In an excavator, the combination of the scraper, a carrier secured to the scraper, a second carrier,also secured to the scraper separately from the first aforesaid carrier, a drum or drums which engage with the carriers at one end and propel them, and a guide or support for each carrier at the other end, substantially as set forth.

2. In an excavator, the combination of the scraper, a rope or belt, N, secured to the scraper, a second rope or belt, N, also secured to the scraper separately from the first aforesaid belt, a rotating support for each carrier at the front end thereof, and a rotating support, as at L, for each carrier at the rear end thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. In an excavator, the combination of the scraper, the two independent endless carriers separately secured to the scraper, and a drum or drums,with which the said carriers engage and by which they are propelled, substantially as set forth.

at. In an excavator, the combination of the ICC 6. The combination of the scraper, the two independent endless carriers separately secured to the scraper, the drum with which both of said carriers engage in common, and power devices which impart rotation to both ends of the drum simultaneously, whereby both carriers are simultaneously propelled in the same direction, substantially as set forth. 7. In an excavator, the combination of the scraper, the carriers which propel the scraper, the pulleys or guides at the rear ends of the carriers, and the anchor-frame having crossbars h h and elongated longitudinal barsH H, the forward-inclined anchors I I at the front end of the said bars H, and the forward-inclined anchor-s I I at the rear end of the said bars, whereby an elongated base of resistance is provided, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. W'ATSON. \Vitnesses:

M. F. SEARS, LEONARD S. SEARS. 

